


Where Did The Party Go

by cyaneidae



Series: Hold Me Tight Or Don't [2]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Gen, Gingerrose - Freeform, Next Gen, Pregnancy, Rose has a big heart, The Author Regrets Nothing, and she's not afraid to use it, armitage isn't scared of many people but he KNOWS not to cross his wife, the cotton candy fluff and smut installment, this is so CUTE and FLUFFY you're going to need to see a dentist
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-22
Updated: 2020-01-22
Packaged: 2021-02-27 09:34:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,214
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22354921
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cyaneidae/pseuds/cyaneidae
Summary: "...Armitage is going to absolutely lose his mind over this.""He'll get over it."Or: Rose Loves All Her Force Sensitive Children And Also Her Completely Stressed Out Husband.Or or: "The Kids Aren't Alright" companion/sequel, this time with Rose POV.
Relationships: Armitage Hux/Rose Tico, GingerRose, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren, Reylo
Series: Hold Me Tight Or Don't [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1607248
Comments: 24
Kudos: 119





	Where Did The Party Go

**Author's Note:**

> your humble author clearly CAN'T stop getting headcanons for this adorable AU she just created (checks notes) TWO days ago, so here, I have another offering! /throws more confetti/
> 
> this was SUPPOSED to be short, just 10 vignettes to parallel the 10 vignettes in "The Kids Aren't Alright," butttttttt 3,000+ words later, clearly I Have No Chill.
> 
> Rated M because the smut got A Little Out of Hand. (but not enough for E, I think)
> 
> (Title again by Fall Out Boy, because I listened to their album "Save Rock And Roll" (2013) over and over again as I wrote this.)

Considering how vague her husband’s concerned message had been (which was _very_ unlike him), Rose heaves a sigh of relief when she comes home after her mission to find both him and their daughter unharmed.

_Well, they’re alive and uninjured, anyway_. Armitage looks as frazzled as a mouse droid, about ready to screech off as quick as possible in the opposite direction. Paige, on the other hand, looks as happy and carefree as ever. _What on Yavin has got him so—_

_Oh._

Rose looks at her daughter again—really, looks _beside_ her and sees the floating toys.

She raises her gaze to her husband's, helplessness and anxiety all over his face.

“So I guess I understand why you went to Rey’s, then.”

“Yes,” he says weakly.

Paige giggles, and the toys float _higher_.

Armitage sinks into the nearest chair and puts his head in his hands. Rose bites her tongue and uses her hand to cover the smile that is _begging_ to be seen.

Well, this is going to be fun.

\----

Paige's first lightsaber is green--and a saberstaff, at that (Rey being her main teacher and wanting to pass along the intricate teachings of using a staff to fight with).

Rose doesn't know enough about lightsaber colors to presume anything and assumes it's because Paige likes the color.

("Mom, it's because that kyber crystal _called_ to me. Not just because I like the color.")

("Of course, sweetheart. That makes perfect sense.")

("--but it's also because my eyes are green and I wanted them to match! Just like Dad's eyes, too.")

(If Rose, perhaps, smiles even bigger and bites her tongue to stifle a sniffle, no one will ever know.)

\----

Rose wakes from a dead sleep to hear a loud _bzzzzzzzzssH_ hum noise that, deep in the back of her sleep-deprived mind, she recognizes to be the sound of a lightsaber igniting. Given that her daughter is Force sensitive, this isn't an unusual sound in their household nowadays.

However, it _is_ an unwelcome sound at 2am, _especially_ when Rose has told her time and time again that nothing is so urgent as needing to practice in the middle of the night.

Rose starts to slowly rise from bed to give Paige another lecture (perhaps, even threaten to have Rey hold onto the lightsaber for the moment--at least until her daughter can learn to be respectful about _bedtime_ ) when she notices the other side of the bed is empty.

_Oh_. It seems like Armitage is already dealing with the issue. Good. She's tired enough as it is.

She sits up for a moment, leaning back on the bed's headboard. The lightsaber clearly cuts back and forth for a few moments, and Rose waits for the telltale sound to cease or perhaps even to hear her husband's angrily whispered voice.

Her eyes slowly drift shut of their own accord, however, and she misses the _CLUNK_ and the subsequent _yelp_ of pain that comes from down the hall.

\----

The next morning she's sipping her caf and reading a holo on the best bulbs to plant in the fall on this planet when she hears Armitage come down the stairs. Rose hands him the mug of Tarine tea without looking up.

Then she spots the burned hem on his nightshirt. Her gaze rises to his. Her eyebrows rise.

_Really, now?_

He just runs a hand through his askew hair and sips the tea. The tips of his ears start to blend in with his hair in color, however, an acknowledgement that he knows exactly what he's being judged for.

Paige bounds down the stairs and jumps into the nearest chair, stopping their silent conversation. She reaches for her breakfast plate and opens her mouth in between bites.

"Dad, why is my lightsaber on my desk instead of my bedside table?"

"It fell off in the night, Paige, and I put it on your desk where you can easily find it."

Rose eyes him again, staring at the open collar of his nightshirt as the blush spreads down his face and onto his neck. She merely sips her caf again and doesn't say anything, though.

For now.

\----

"You just _had_ to try out Paige's lightsaber, didn't you?"

"...I was making some tea when my sleeve got caught on the burner and got singed, nothing more."

"...sure. Whatever you say."

"..."

"By the way, I think you singed a bit of your hair in the back as well. Remind me to trim around it and make it look better tomorrow."

\----

Rose is planting bulbs of her namesake with Rey while the guys are off with the kids, camping, when she feels it again. She clutches her abdomen and closes her eyes for a moment.

_Oh._

"...Seems like you want to help me plant these bulbs, huh, sweetheart? You're a bit young to do that, yet, though." She opens her eyes and smiles down at the apron-covered bump. She feels a sharp kick against her hand and bites back a swear.

"That's not useful, though! Your momma doesn't appreciate that at all, young lady."

"...Rose, everything okay?" Rey has come over with a concerned look in her eyes. Which is exactly what Rose _doesn't_ want, because Rey can be like a nervous porg about things she's uncomfortable with, and _that_ didn't ever help anyone. Especially when Rose wants to keep planting these bulbs and not be ushered back into her home to rest.

“It’s fine. The little one just wanted to help plant the flowers, that’s all.”

She goes to crotch down again when she feels it again. It’s not really a pain, per se, but—

“Oh!”

This time Rey crouches down with her and steadies Rose. They slowly sink together down onto the ground.

“Oh!! Rose, I—is it okay if I—” and Rey motions towards Rose’s growing abdomen, clearly excited about something.

“Of course,” Rose says, and Rey places a gentle hand on the swell. Rose watches carefully as Rey closes her eyes, her face relaxing into a calm expression.

After a moment, Rey opens her eyes again and looks back into Rose’s. 

“Rose, your daughter—I can _feel_ the energy surrounding her—it’s just like when I was pregnant with Breha—I think she’s—” and Rey catches her breath, stopping the tumbling of words for a moment.

And Rose _gets_ it, just a moment before Rey says it.

“Rose, I think she's going to be Force sensitive. Just like Breha. Just like Paige.” Rey looks at Rose with a soft smile, something Rose returns for a moment before she shakes her head and just _laughs._

"...Armitage is going to absolutely lose his mind over this."

"He'll get over it."

\----

He’s kissing up her legs and—“oh! That’s—” she lets out a very undignified _moan_ when he hits the right spot, but she can’t be bothered to care about bullshit like that when—

“Maybe this next one will be...different,” he says quietly, in between licks—

“...what??”

— _they absolutely are not having this conversation right now_. She blinks down at him, her near-orgasm haze clearing for a moment. 

“Just...maybe...this next kid will be something I can handle.” He says it quietly, stopping his ministrations to look into her eyes from his current spot in between her legs.

_Oh._ For once, she doesn’t have to dig deep and coax and plead with him to find the crux of a struggle he’s tried so hard to hide, to pretend everything is alright.

It seems he’s never quite gotten over his anxieties regarding their daughter’s Force sensitivity.

“Hey,” she says, reaching down to cup his cheek with one hand, “It’s okay. You’ve been a great father to her—” and when he starts to protest, she cuts him off and lifts a finger on her other hand, mental haze completely gone, “no, don’t interrupt me! You _have_. I’ve seen it. And I’m so happy to be with you, to raise her with you. So, so what if Ben and Rey need to help with the Force sensitive stuff? So what?? I had to show Rey around a fresher _and_ how to make caf and that wasn’t easy! And to show Ben how to not make a total fool of himself while trying to impress Rey (though, I swear, sometimes he still makes things worse for himself, that lovable _idiot_ ).

“It’s _okay_.” She brushes a hand through his short ginger hair, starting by rubbing away an errant tear that he’ll later pretend didn’t exist.

“ _I_ love you and _she_ loves you and I _know_ you love her. We do our best. And that’s good enough.”

“...and this next child?” He’s moved one of his hands to the swell of her stomach, touching her lightly, _reverently_.

“We’ll love them, too, no matter how they come out like...no matter if they have my height or your sunny personality—”

“Hey!”

“—you know I’m just teasing! You know I love your moods and your enthusiasm.” _That_ gets a hiccup-laugh out of him.

“But really, you _know_ we’ll love them, no matter what. No matter if they end up like...like _us_ , or if they end up just as Force sensitive as their sister. You _know_.”

“...I do,” he says quietly, after a pause. He’s smiling softly and there are tear tracks on his face.

She watches as he slowly crawls up her body, gently kissing every inch of skin he can reach as he goes. Giving particular attention to her stomach, her breasts. 

Her mid-coital haze ramps up again.

“And they’ll be the strongest Force user alive, as strong and fiesty as their mother,” he adds, his lips finally meeting hers.

“Or they’ll be as nimble with their lightsaber as their father is with words,” she says, chuckling.

“Of course,” he affirms, kissing her sweetly, gently, endlessly.

He adjusts them quickly, entering her faster than she can process.

Oh. _Oh._

It seems silly to say that she sees stars, when really, all she can see is him.

They’ll be okay.

\----

Rose is cutting up vegetables from her garden when she hears a knock at the door. She can probably narrow down the possibilities, if she cared to, but Rose has never minded surprises.

It is, indeed, a surprise, however, when she opens the door to Ben and Bail Solo. The latter has snot running down his nose and red eyes. The former looks absolutely bewildered and anxious, _almost like_ \--

"Can we--can we come in?" Ben asks, his hand on his son's shoulder.

"Of course," Rose tells him, stepping back from the door to let the two in.

She has them sit in the high stools of the kitchen and goes to make hot chocolate, something she thinks will make everyone involved feel better.

There is a long period of silence, broken intermittently by Bail's sniffles, before Ben starts talking.

"He just--and I don't know what to do--I thought maybe you would--"

"But why-y-y aren't I like you and Mom, Daaaaad??" Bail cries, wailing harder. He sniffles into his mug.

Oh.

_\--almost like when Armitage brought Paige to Rey's, helpless and completely out of his element. Because she was Force sensitive and he didn't know what to do. But was trying to love her anyway, however he knew how._

Rose recognizes the same situation in front of her, except reversed.

"I understand," she tells Ben quietly, before turning to Bail.

"Sweetie, just because you're not exactly like your parents doesn't mean you're not special or good. _I_ don't have the powers of your parents and I manage just fine. Managed to teach your dad a couple things, too, as a matter of fact," and she winks at Ben. He only rolls his eyes half-halfheartedly.

Bail is looking at her through wide tear-streaked eyes, focusing intently on her words.

"Bu-u-u-t even _Paige_ has powers like them!! What if I'm...broken?" At the words, Ben turns to his son, looking absolutely stricken.

"You're not broken, Bail. Maybe...maybe it's better this way," he says quietly. "Maybe so that Aunt Rose can teach you a few things _I_ can't, just like I did for Paige," he says, louder.

"Of course," Rose says, smiling gently at the boy. "We can work on designing better ships than that hunk of junk your dad flies, for starters."

"Hey!"

"--Or I can teach you how to play a really great prank on your mom. How would you like that?" Bail is looking a little less tear-stricken for once, a small little smile coming onto his face. He nods. Rose smiles back.

"I'll just have to get out some supplies then, I suppose?"

\----

"...How did this happen again?"

"..."

"Armitage, I thought you and Ben were _over_ this pettiness."

"...we were just trying to teach the girls self-defense when Solo decided to use my face like a mannequin's, which I definitely _didn't_ agree to, by the way."

"And yet _your_ knuckles are torn up, too. _Honestly!_ " and she finishes the stitch above his left eyebrow. Rose ties the suture and cuts it before slapping a small bacta patch over the whole thing. Her husband winces for a second as the bacta hits the injury before his face relaxes.

"No more fighting for you, young man!" and she emphasizes the point with one finger on her empty hand. No matter that, even sitting in a chair in order for her to administer her aid, he is nearly _still_ taller than her. Which makes the whole scene seem ridiculous, but really is very common to both of them at this point. (Honestly, he needs to stop saying _provoking_ things to Ben, or worse, falling for the man's own taunts.)

Armitage raises his brows before wincing again, the cut stretching with his movements. "Young man?!? Ow! ...I found _another_ grey in my hair just this morning, who are you calling young??"

"You, my silly lothcat." And she gently whacks him on the top of his head.

"-- _Ow_! I thought you were _helping_ me, not adding insult to injury!"

"Of course, dear." And she kisses the corner of his mouth, softly, casually, like they've been doing this for years. (They have, in fact.)

Imagine her not-surprise when he refuses to let her off the hook after that chaste gesture and grabs her face, kissing her full on her lips.

"...thank you, Rose."

Imagine _his_ not-surprise when she continues what _he_ totally started and moves to grip his ass with one hand while the other works on opening the top of his completely-buttoned up shirt.

"...You're welcome, love."

\----

"Haha, _gotcha_! Yield, Solo!"

"--That's cheating, Tico! We said no fancy Force stuff!"

"Wasn't Force stuff! Just a neat trick I learned from _your_ mom. And by way, you still lose. Yield to me."

Rose feels the giggle before she hears it, turning to Rey to raise her eyebrows in acknowledgement and praise. In front of them, Paige has Bail's neck pinned back by her quarterstaff and is nearly sitting on him in an attempt to pin him down, while Bail's own staff lays off to the side, forcibly discarded. As previously agreed, neither of the weapons contained kyber crystals of any sort (given that it would give Paige a distinct advantage), but that didn't mean that Paige's innate abilities combined with the quickness her small size enabled would be too little to combat Bail's much larger frame and strength. It was nearly a draw, in fact. Until Paige had pulled a questionable slight of hand (really, foot) that gave her the upper hand.

"She beat him fair and square," Armitage sniffs next to Rose, sitting with his arms crossed. Ben, on the other side of Rey, rolls his eyes.

"Really?? Says the man who tripped me just the other day."

"I'm sorry _your_ leg just _happened_ to be in my path."

"--Do you think she'll fall first? Or will she be the oblivious one?" All the heads whip around to look at Rose, who wiggles her eyebrows conspiratorially at Rey.

Rey takes an appraising look at the young pair, now helping each other up (before Bail purposely trips Paige up in retaliation and they end up in a heap of limbs again).

"...Nah. He'll confess his feelings first before she even admits to herself she cares."

"...Are you _really_ suggesting they're going to fall in love? Are you out of your mind?? They hate each other!" Armitage's eyes have bugged out and he's gripping Rose's hand more than is strictly necessary. She squeezes his hand in gentle reminder and he loosens his grip, slightly.

"They're both oblivious fools. That's how it starts." This is from Ben. Both women giggle and Armitage rolls his eyes and snorts.

"You're all wrong. They're already in love." This time, the voice comes from behind all of them. The adults turn to see their other children coming up the path, Jayllin in front and the speaker in question.

"I accidentally came across them the other day being disgustingly cute. Paige needs to learn to find better hiding spots for her extracurricular activities than where we store all our practice equipment."

"Excuse me!?" "What?" "When???" "Are you serious?"

"Yeah, yeah. Old news. By the way, you missed a grey hair in the back when plucking them this morning, Dad. Orrrrrr...maybe not, since now that I see the front, it looks like maybe your hair is finally giving up on orange as a color."

And with that entrance, Jayllin plops herself down in front of her mother and leans back onto the front of Rose's chair to watch Round 2. The other kids similarly fill in as Armitage sputters and attempts to find his words again...while Ben just guffaws uproariously. Rey bites her lip and punches her husband's side in attempt to stop the cackles, while Rose squeezes Armitage's hand again and runs her other hand through his disparaged hair, which actually doesn't look as horrible as his daughter wants to make it out to be. It looks quite nice, actually.

"You look distinguished, dear," she whispers in his ear, then kisses above said ear for emphasis. She ignores the mock gags and choking noises from the peanut gallery of preteens and teens all around them. A blush creeps up his face but the man says nothing more.

They both turn back to the practice fight in front of them, the cheers and boos around them finally getting louder as they escape their own bubble again for a moment. Just one moment, though.

"...Don't kill him before he asks her, Armitage."

"...I make no promises."

"You helped raise him, shush! You already love him like a son. This isn't much of a stretch."

"...humph."

"...I love you, you know?"

"...of course I do. And I you. Until we're just two more stars in the galaxy."

"...That was very romantic, even for you."

"I have my moments."

"You do."

And she kisses him this time on his lips, heedless of the crowd around them. Because some day they indeed will be two more stars in space. But for now, they're just two people who are ridiculously lucky to have all of this--a large, loving family and extremely close friends, a greater energy surrounding them all--and most of all, they have each other.

**Author's Note:**

> i'm sorry if the tone switches gave you whiplash!! i kno the original ficlet was p much all humor and cuteness, but ~somehow~ my muse *also* threw angst and sexiness into the pot this time (to add to the humor soup).
> 
> hope you enjoyed!!
> 
> (also: no promises, but given that I published twice *for the same AU* in two days, I'm sure more ficlets from this universe will follow) (especially if y'all on twitter keep giving me iDEAS!!11)
> 
> Come find me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/amethyststeam) and [tumblr](https://thestolenrelic.tumblr.com/)!


End file.
